Miter-gage.



O. H. JOHNSON.

' MITER GAGE.

APPLIGATION FILED JULY 26,1910.

Patented Oct. 24, 1911.

v 5 WITNESSES g/VENTOR X7 BY 1 WWXW/ W ATTORNEY COLUMBIA PLANOORAPH c0"WASHINGTON, D. c.

CARL H. JOHNSON, 0F SPOKANE, WASHINGTON.

IVIITER-GAGE.

ooaeae.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 24, 19111.

Application filed July 26, 1910. Serial No. 573,842.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CARL H. JoHNsoN, a

citizen of the United States, residing at Spokane, in the county ofSpokane and State of Vvashington, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Miter- Gages; and I do hereby declare the following tobe a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as willenable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and usethe same.

This invention relates to miter gages, and has for an object to providea gage for cutting both ends of a leg, strut, or trestle brace to theproper angle to properly engage a mortise irrespective of the length ofsuch leg.

In carrying fiumes, trestles, or the like over uneven country thesupporting legs or struts are required to be of different lengths tocompensate for different altitudes of the ground, and it has been founddifiicult to produce the proper miter at the ends to always support theflume, trestle, or the like at the proper altitude and yet alwaysproperly' fit the mortise produced to receive it.

The present invention has for a further object to provide a staffadjustable longitudinally to the length required as a vertical from thefiume to the ground, and with the proper perpendicular straight edgesattached thereto adapted to mark for forming the opposite ends of thelegs, and also to determine the proper angle.

With these and other objects in view the invention comprises certainnovel constructions, combinations, and arrangement of parts as will behereinafter more fully de scribed and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings: Figure 1 is a view in side elevation ofthe entire device shown in connection with a conventional flume and oneleg. Fig. 2 is a view of the device in edge elevation. Fig. 3 is anenlarged View in side elevation of the adjustable gage portion.

Like characters of reference designate cor responding parts throughoutthe several views.

A staff shown as a whole at A is made up respectively of the sections 10and 11 joined to slide longitudinally relative to each other, andprovided with means, as clips 12, to permit such sliding movement and tosecure the sections in rigid adjusted position. The adjustment referredto is for the purpose of securing a length equal to the verticaldistance between the fiume the bottom of which is shown conventionallyat 13 or other supported structure and the base or supporting member 14which is a timber lying on the ground or otherwise supported as a base.The timber 14 extends transversely of the flume 13, or is placed in anyother applicable position.

Carried rigidly by the staff A are straight edge members 15 and 16respectively at the bottom and adjacent the top of the staff A, wherebymarks may be produced when the 'staif is adjusted to mark the exactmeasure between the members 13 and 14.

Pivoted upon one side of the staif A, as at 17, is a straight edgemember 18 having a segment 19 pivotally connected therewith andadjustably secured to the staff A by any approved means, as a thumbscrew 20. The staff A also carries an index member 21 by which theangular relation of the straight edge member 18 to a vertical asindicated by the staff A is determined.

In operation the straight edge member 18 is set at the angle requiredfor the legs or struts of the supported structure, indicated at Fig. 1as the legs B, and the staff A is adjusted between the members 13 and14. The angularity of the straight edge member 18 is determined by theangular position of the necessary mortise produced in the supportedstructure and with the parts adjusted as shown at Fig. 1, the organizedstructure which forms the subject-matter of this application is laidupon the timber from which the leg or strut is to be cut so that thestraight edge member 18 is against the side of such timber when theexact conditions of the cut for the top and bottom of the strut or leg Bwill be determined respectively by the top and bottom straight edges ofthe straight edge members 15 and 16.

It is well known that in erecting structures such as fiumes, trestlesand the like, the same angularity of the legs or struts is employedthroughout the length of the structure irrespective of the verticalheight of the supported structure, and that the length of the legs orstruts for supporting such structure varies as the vertical height ofthe supported structure above the ground. It being determined then theexact vertical height of the supported structure above the ground orsupporting member represented by 14, the staif A is adjusted so that theinterval between the upper straight edge of the member 16 and the lowerstraight edge of the member 15 coincide exactly with the elevation ofthe supported structure. The interval then between such upper and lowerstraight edges and along the straight edge 18 will be the exact lengthfor cutting the supporting leg or strut.

What I claim is:

A miter ga 'e comprising a longitudinal adjustable sta with straightedge members on one side and on opposite ends thereof,

extending over the segment.

In testimony whereof I affiX my signature in presence of two witnesses.

CARL H. JOHNSON. \Vitnesses J. L. CRUsE, O. A. ALEXANDER.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents. Washington, D. G.

